José Bové Freed!

Continues Fight Against the
'Mal-Bouffe'

Paris:- Sunday, 12. September 1999:- Last
Tuesday, sheepherder and peasant leader José
Bové was freed after bail set at 105,000 francs was
deposited with the court in Montpellier.

French justice had placed him in jail for his part in
the dis-construction of a new McDonald's site at Millau.
Four other peasant militants had been freed earlier after
paying the same amount of bail.

José Bové is head of the leftist-ecolo
Peasant's Confederation. Although smaller in numbers than
the main French Farmers Association, it is a lot more
militant - and its leader is a lot more prone to be in
conflict with judicial authorities.

However, by refusing to pay the bail set by the court,
José Bové narrowly focused French attention
on agricultural problems in general - which have been major
news since the summer - with farmers protesting below-cost
prices received for their production.

Outside the jail's door, José Bové sat
down to a picnic of local and regional products. His group
is agitating against the pressure the WTO is putting on the
world's consumers to accept genetically altered food
products - what he calls the 'mal-bouffe.'

For the McDonald's caper and a couple of other recent
actions, José Bové faces possible penalties
of five years in prison and a fine of 500,000 francs.

A day before his release, Prime Minister Lionel Jospin
remarked that since Mr. Bové was unlikely to flee,
there was little reason for his 'preventive detention.'

This is, however, a very common occurrence in French
judicial affairs. In cases of the accused being found
innocent in court, I don't know how innocent detainees are
compensated for their time spent in detention.

Media attention plus wide support convinced Mr.
Bové it was time to continue the battle outside
prison; to prepare for the upcoming WTO summit meeting in
Seattle.

In Paris, the newsmagazine 'L'Evenement' had every paper
kiosk plastered with its
latest title, showing
Bové emerging from a hamburger wearing handcuffs.
Since many McDonald's locations in Paris are near
high-traffic areas, it was possible to see the cover posted
in front of their outlets.

Newspaper kiosk on
sidewalk in front of McDonald's outlet.

McDonald's took out full-page newspaper advertisements
with the headline 'Made in France.' McDonald's has
750 outlets in France, which employ 30,000 workers, mainly
part-time.

McDonald's also claimed it buys beef from 45,000
cattlemen in France, as well as having its potatoes and
salads supplied by local farmers. 'Né aux USA, fait
en France' is the company's new slogan.

Meanwhile the main farmer's association has stepped up
its actions against wholesale distribution centres; they
are continuing to protest the sub-cost amounts they receive
for produce.

There was a national call for action Friday to block
prefectures with 4000 participating against 70 of the
governing bodies throughout France. The turnout was less
than expected, but some of the actions were spectacular
enough for good TV-news images.

The Battle for
Paris

There are four reasons for breaking my ban on commenting
on Paris municipal politics. The first is that since I have
become a resident of the city, I will also pay taxes in it;
as well as be able to vote in the coming local
elections.

I cannot say the city is being mismanaged in any way.
However, the present mayor, Jean Tiberi is under attack
from his own RPR party - partly for announcing his
candidature for re-election without consulting the party
first. The RPR is in total disarray, but the
self-candidature has been seen as a giant 'faux-pas.'

Mayor Tiberi is also under investigation for various
irregularities of administration and will be having a
couple of dates with judicial authorities this fall.

The Socialists have picked up steam in various recent
elections and look as if they have a chance to break the
RPR's decades-long monopoly of power in the city. When
former national cultural czar and ranking Socialist
Jack Lang calls for having next year's Techno Parade on the
Champs-Elysées, is he not tossing his hat in the
ring?

Some other big elephants of the Socialist party are also
rumored to be eyeballing Paris' plush seat in the
Hôtel de Ville - such as the current national
super-minister of finance, Dominique Strass-Kahn.

Last week, Daniel Cohn-Bendit had a long dinner
conversation with socialist Prime Minister Lionel
Jospin.

'Danny the Red,' the '68er with experience on the Green
wing of the Frankfurt city council, parachuted into France
as a 'Greenie' and helped the French ecolos get a good
score in the European elections last June.

Now he and his brother, Gabriel, have taken up residence
in the 14th arrondissement, to wage the municipal battle on
behalf of - whom? Sozis, Reds or Greens?

Finally, you may not be full-time residents, but as a
group you have an important economic influence on Paris'
fortunes. How Paris spends the money it collects from you
in 'taxes de séjour' or value-added taxes, not to
mention the ill-defined 'tax-tax,' will affect the texture
of the city - and thus your visit to it.

Mayor Tiberi has rightly taken credit for many recent
initiatives such as the bike lanes, the upgrading of
various quarters and shows he has some humor through the
active tolerance of mad activities such as the weekly
Friday night roller 'Rando,' and the permission for the
upcoming Techno Parade.

Nominally Paris belongs to Parisians. In reality, Paris
belongs to the world - as can be seen by all these
'foreigners' such as Jack Lang - Mayor of Blois - and all
the other non-native 'Parisians' who are about to fight for
control of Paris' Hôtel de Ville.

It looks like everybody is going to either have a finger
in this contest, or will be an eventual beneficiary of it -
so the Paris municipal elections have become 'news' for
Metropole Paris.

Car-Free Day in Paris

After last year's somewhat feeble adherence to carless
day in Paris - cars minus 13 percent, bikes plus 110
percent - this years' edition takes place on Wednesday, 22.
September. This year will see a wider area of Paris closed
to traffic.

Arrondissements with restricted traffic from 07:00 to
21:00 will be the right bank's 1st, 2nd, 3rd, part of the
4th and the left bank's 5th, 6th and the 7th. Concorde in
the 8th will be restricted, as will be Montmartre's summit
and the basin at La Villette.

This will close 150 kilometres of Paris streets to
ordinary vehicle traffic. Permitted to roll as usual with
be all the police cars, ambulances, fire equipment, taxis,
RATP buses, private electric or GPL cars and anyone with a
special permit.

In order to reduce the stress on incoming suburbanites,
public transport will be increased and shuttle buses will
be pressed into service. Socialist councilman Bertrand
Delanoë has called for a special day's transit ticket,
good for anything that moves, including the Batobus.

Ten other Paris-region towns will also be having a
carless day, plus another 55 towns and cities throughout
France. In Italy, 93 cities there will be carless on the
same day.

Strike in Champagne

Champagne house and distribution workers were on strike
on Friday over the 35-hour work week issue, just four days
before the expected begin of this year's - estimated to be
of excellent quality - grape harvest.

Most of the major houses have already signed accords or
are in the process of doing so, but many small and medium
producers are balking at what they consider to be too many
advantages 'for the privileged.'

This would be a storm in a flute glass if it were not
for Champagne's expectation to make a fortune this year by
getting everybody in the world to possess a bottle of it on
Friday, 31. December.

New Looks

During the week both France Soir and Le Parisien - both
Paris dailies as well as national papers - put on new
looks for the newstands. Le Parisien's change was slight:
more color photos, a more compact serif typeface for body
copy and modern sans-serif type for headlines.

Does
this mean France-Soir will have a page three like the Daily
Mirror?

France Soir's fairly recent major face-lift did not lift
falling circulation, so it has shifted to a look closer to
that of UK, US and German tabloids - which means less on
the front page but everything bigger, brighter, bolder,
better! This certainly came across better in billboards all
over Paris than Le Parisien's sober in-paper
statement.

What's the Meaning of This?

Claude Berri, the director, is not an unknown maker of
funny movies. Last year's 'Asterix' might not have been the
success he had hoped for - but my kids liked it.

Mr. Berri's next film debuts in Paris on Wednesday, 6.
October and he thinks it is going to be the first film that
has the drug Viagra in the plot. I have been wondering when
the first film about it will show up and now I know and so
do you.

The well-known director has not made an autobiographical
movie since his 'Je Vous Aime' with Catherine Deneuve,
Alain Souchon, Serge Gainsbourg and Claude Berri in
1980.

Although personal elements are in this new film 'La
Débandade,' as well as Mr. Berri himself, he has
said the film is not entirely autobiographical. Fanny
Ardant stars as his wife, and Claude Brasseur and Alain
Chabat help out.

'La Débandade' means rout or to straggle along,
or plain confusion, so I'll have to wait to see the movie
to see if its title is related to the story.

Sports:
Hunting Season Opens

Hunting season opened today in most of France with the
usual sounds of gunshots and protests. Hunters and
fishermen have formed their own
political party to defend their traditional 'rights'
against the ecolos, who have won some points for the
liberty of non-hunters to use hunting areas for other
purposes.

This bistro shows the French spelling of
'Bulldog.'

The European court recently decided it was perfectly
proper for private property owners to prohibit hunting on
their lands - which the hunters still claim is an
infringement of their historic 'rights.' Fresh from this
victory - enforceable? - the ecolos now want hunting
forbidden on Sunday afternoons so that others can roam the
forests in safety, and they want the season to close in
January.

The hunters, who have proved they can elect
representatives, are willing to provide swing votes to
larger parties who see their point of view, so their
political weight is heavier than their geographic
concentration.

As of today, if you are thinking of taking any strolls
in France's wooded areas this fall and winter, be sure not
to dress like 'fair game.'